Railroad-track sand-remover.



J. B. KELLY.

RAILROAD TRACK SAND REMOVER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27. 1916.

1 222 91 3 Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEEI' 1.

MOI/Mfii V;

J. B. KELLY.

RAI:LROAD TRACK SAND REMOVER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.2I;1916.

1,Q%%,l3 Patented Apr. 10,1917.

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on mammalian, ananamanssrenon or one-Hannro z. A.

nooenas, or BIRMINGHAM, ananana ammonia-mack SAND-REMOVER.

To all whom it may-concern:

Be 'i known that I, JOHN BERRY KELLY, a citizen of the United States of America,

' residing at Birmingham, in the county of.

Jefierson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Railroad-Track Sand-Removers, of which the following is a specification.

, My invention relates to a railroad track locomotives which is constructed and attached to the locomotive so that it will 'discharge a fluid jet either water, steam or air against the surface of the rails immediately behind the rear driving wheels of the locomotive to blow the sand from the railafter the driving wheels have passed over it and in advance of the wheels of the train. My apparatus is controllable so that itcan be used when desired and its principal use will be when the rails have been heavily sanded in, pulling up grades. If sand is left on the track after serving its function under the driving wheels, the other wheels of the train 25 will have to run over it so that the wheel friction will be increased and the grinding wear on both the wheel tread and flange, and particularly on the rails, will be greatly increased. If simple, inexpensive and effective means can beprovided for removing this source of friction and wear after the sand has served its useful function, a subamen increase in the life of both wheels and rails will result and the friction between the wheels and rails will be reduced to a minimum, thereby increasing the tonnage that can be hauled.

My preferred means for removing. the sand from the rails is a thin high pressure jet of water from the locomotive boiler but itis within the contemplation of my invention that the resultscontemplated can be accomplished by a flush of water from the water tank on the tender or by other like means. The stream of water should be directed away from the wheels and machinery of the locomotive to avoid causing rust and the formation of masses of ice thereon.

, My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiments Specification of Letters Patent.

sand remover for use with steam or electric.

the framev of the locomotive.

Patented Apr. 161 1917.

Application filed November 27, 1916. Serial No. 133,730.

only is shown in the accompanying drawmgs, in which Figure 1 partially illustrates a locomotive in side elevation equipped with my invent1on.

2 is a rear elevation of Fig. 1.

Flg. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing my invention adapted to work with air.

Fig. 4 shows my invention as applied to the tender for flushing the track from the water tank thereon.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

1 have illustrated my invention as applied to a steam locomotive 1 but it will be understood that this is typical of any type of locomotive. The locomotive is provided with a sand box 2 and sander pipe 3 disposed to deliver sand in advance of the locomotive driving wheels 4 which are shown running on the track rails 5. I tap into the side of the boiler 6 of the locomotive, preferably below the Water line therein which is indicated by the dotted line Fig. 2, a pipe 7 which is connected by an elbow to a pipe 8 leading down-through the floor of the cab-9. I'provide a valve 10 to control the flow of water or steam and water from the boiler to the pipe 8 and dispose it in convenient reach of the engineer in the cab. This pipe 8, after passing below the floor of the cab, is inclined rearwardly so as toextend down immediately behind the rear driver ,4 and there by means of a T-fitting 11 it is connected to a jet pipe 12 on one side and also to a cross pipe 13 passing under the locomotive and connecting by an elbow to a jet pipe 12 on the other side of the 10- comotive. These jet pipes 12 are disposed closely behind the rear driving wheels 4 and -at their. lower ends are flattened to form wide narrow jet nozzles 14 which are disposed adja'cent to rail treads and given a rearward inclination so as to deliver slanting jets of water rearwardly to sweep the rails clean of the sand. These several pipes can be secured in any'suitable manner to By opening the valve 10 it will be apparent that the sand after passing the drivers 4 is removed from the track rails and the latter are left clean before the other wheels of the train pass thereover, thereby increasing the tonnage hauling capacity of the locomotive.

In Fig. 3 I show the locomotive equipped with a main air reservoir tank forming part of its air brake system, the other details of which are omitted as forming no part of my present invention. From this main reservoir I lead a pipe 16 into the cab' and provide therein a valve 17 to control the delivery of air from the pipe 16 to the pipe 18 which leads down through the floor of the cab like the pipe 8 and this pipe 18 is up through the top of the tank and in con venient reach of the fireman or engineer.

.When the valve is opened a flush of water from the tank in the tender will flow through a pipe 22 to the T-fitting 11 and will flow therefrom by the piping arrangements already described to thejet nozzle 23,. which are formed similarly to the nozzles 14 but are inclined forwardly instead of rearwardly so that they will deliver the flushing jets of water in the di rection of the movement of the train and ahead of the tender wheels.

It will be apparent that my several devices shown are controllable so that they can be used under proper andsuitable conditions and that when used they will efi'eo tively clean the track of sand before the wheels of the tender and cars travel over the same with the advantages and benefits hereinbefore fully stated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination with a locomotive and its sanding equipment, of a pipe line leading from the boiler of the locomotive, a valve therein to control the flow of water under pressure through said pipe, and jet nozzles connected to the pipe and disposed one immediately behind each rear driving wheel of the locomotive and at an angle so as to deliver the waterjet rearwardly against the rail tread and clean the same of sand immediately behind the driving wheels.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

JOHN BERRY KELLY.

Witness: I

Norma WELSH. 

